Madison has been busy, busy, busy over the last week in the newspapers being printed outside of the Wisconsin state borders. And based on this round-up, we look pretty good. The big story making the rounds via the Associated Press wire concerns State Sen. Judy Robson seeking to require all cigarettes sold in Wisconsin to be fire-safe, "meaning they extinguish automatically when not being smoked." According to the AP Wisconsin would become the 23rd state to enact such requirements on cigarette peddlers.

According to columnist Colin McEnroe of the Hartford Courant in Connecticut, Hartford's Adriaen's Landing "is an internationally recognized marvel, recently honored as America's Most Difficult to Spell New Convention Center, narrowly edging out Fllyorggn's Crossing in Madison, Wis." I have no idea where Fllyorggn Crossing is located. Mr. McEnroe, may I suggest the Hhffrrrggh Inn of Janesville, Wis. for future "Difficult to Spell" location articles? At least you'll be citing a real place.

Our school naming controversy is used as an example in a Dallas Morning News article on choosing a forgettable person when naming a school.

In a New York Times article about fueling without fossils the world learns that Madison's Virent Energy Systems "is turning sugar into gasoline, diesel, kerosene and jet fuel, with the long-range plan of obtaining the sugars from biomass."

Madison-based Broadjam.com is the center of attention for an article in the Rocky Mountain News concerning the internet becoming one big coffeehouse where musicians can be discovered.

Another Madison-based company, Sub-Zero, receives a innovative thumbs up from The Columbus Dispatch due to a recent decision to include water filtration in refrigeration units as well as "an 'air-scrubbing system' to eliminate bacteria and odor in the refrigerator air. The molecules from those odors won't settle on the foods, altering the flavors."

Madison's Andrew Broderick is quoted in The Boston Globe because he is a "non-profit defector." Broderick used to work as a fund-raiser for hospitals, but jumped to the private sector because the compensation didn't match the reward for the organization, "I could raise $35 million or I could raise $1 dollar and I'd earn the same amount of salary."

Madison knitter and author Susan B. Anderson was recently in Salt Lake City hosting a discussion around her book Itty-Bitty Nursery. Anderson told the Deseret Morning News, "Even if it contains just one or two knitted items, there is a magical connection between knitting and babies. They come together in ways that make people fall in love. Knits are so soft and warm and cuddly."

Madison Symphony Orchestra's former marketing director Sherri Prentiss has moved on to become marketing director of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. She is profiled by the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Hoosiers and Boilers fan Todd Lancaster recently wrote in the Washington Times Herald about his quest to find out why he couldn't see the Big Ten Network on Charter. That quest led him a Charter rep in Madison, Wisconsin, who, while polite, had little new information. Mr. Lancaster, we sympathize.

Gina LaRock of Madison was quoted in The Honolulu Advertiser for a Veteran's Day article about Pearl Harbor survivor Dr. Rodney West who signs autographs at the USS Arizona Memorial Visitors Center every Wednesday.

Madison's James Malloy wrote a defense of Dr. James D. Watson who recently said that Africans are innately less intelligent than other races. Malloy was quoted in the Blue-Ridge Times-News, "Let’s say the genetic data says we’ll have to spend two times as much for every black child to close the achievement gap..." and that society will need to consider how individuals "can be given educational and occupational opportunities that work best for their unique talents and limitations."

Salon.com has an article on the greening of Newt Gingrich and guess what, he likes the work of Madison-based (okay, technically Monona) Sand County Foundation which works on finding local solutions for land management.